Grosse Ile takes down Flat Rock, headed for district final TOUT VIDEO

In the first game of two at Huron High School in New Boston on Wednesday evening, Flat Rock and Grosse Ile met for the third time this season. Grosse Ile won the first two, and it wasn’t any different on Wednesday.

The Red Devils jumped out to an eight-point lead after the first quarter, and didn’t look back, en route to a 58-42 win over the Rams.

It didn’t start that way though, as the Rams jumped out to a 7-3 lead just three minutes in. Grosse Ile started to come back, and its last lead was a 9-8 advantage at 3:48 of the first quarter. That was the final time the Rams held the lead in the game.

“They struggled with our defense all three times we’ve played them. Our 2-3 zone gave them a lot of problems,” said Grosse Ile Coach Bryan Friel.

In the second quarter, the Red Devils started to pull away from the Rams, as they were up 27-19 at the half.

Things picked up for Grosse Ile into the third quarter, and by the start of the fourth quarter, it was all but over for the Rams.

“Every time we get close, we would turn the ball over, or McCarty would get to the basket. We played hard,” said Flat Rock Coach David Bojataj.

One highlight for the Ram in the second half though, was a half-court shot by TeDarius Laidler to end the third quarter. Despite still being down 42-29, fans on both sides of the court were cheering for that shot.

Leading the way for the Rams was Laidler who had 14 points and a rebound, Parker Neal who had five points and four rebounds, and Kevin Fritz, who had eight points and a rebound.

Rebounds were a huge part of the game, as the Red Devils out-rebounded the Rams by a hefty margin.

“They went after the ball and got it. They had a lot more desire to go get the offensive boards. That made a difference,” said Bojataj.

The Rams will lose seven seniors heading into next year, but bring back a strong core, including a junior varsity team and freshmen team that went a combined 34-3 this past season.

Leading the way for Grosse Ile, Daniel McCarty had 20 points and two rebounds, Tyler Moores had 12 points and four rebounds, and Thomas Daly had 10 points and eight rebounds.

As for the Red Devils, they’ll take on Summit Academy Friday for the district title.